The American journal of emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Absence of QT prolongation after administration of a 24-mg bimodal-release ondansetron pill (RHB-102).
Prospective data evaluating the effect of ondansetron on the corrected QT (QTc) interval is lacking in emergency department clinical use. As part of a randomized trial of a 24-mg bimodal-release ondansetron (RHB-102) pill, we tested the effect of RHB-102 compared to placebo on QTc change. ⋯ In patients with normal baseline QTc, 24-mg bimodal-release ondansetron did not prolong the QTc in comparison to placebo.
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Multicenter Study
Surviving traumatic cardiac arrest: Identification of factors associated with survival.
The endpoint of resuscitative interventions after traumatic injury resulting in cardiopulmonary arrest varies across institutions and even among providers. The purpose of this study was to examine survival characteristics in patients suffering torso trauma with no recorded vital signs (VS) in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Over a recent nine-year period in the United States, nearly 25,000 trauma patients were treated at trauma centers despite lack of VS. Of these patients, only 73 were discharged home. A trauma center would have to attempt over one hundred resuscitations of traumatic arrests to save one patient, confirming previous reports that highlight a grave prognosis. This creates a dilemma in treatment for front line workers and physicians with resource utilization and consideration of safety of exposure, particularly in the face of COVID-19.
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Multicenter Study
Effect of COVID19 on prehospital pronouncements and ED visits for stroke and myocardial infarction.
The Novel Coronavirus19 (COVID19) arrived in northern New Jersey (NJ) in early March 2020, peaked at the beginning of April, and then declined. Starting in March, some patients who called 911 and required advanced life support (ALS) may have decompensated more rapidly than would have been expected, possibly because of concomitant COVID19 infection and/or delays in seeking medical care because of fear of exposure to the virus, and social isolation. In this study, our goal was to determine if there was an increase in prehospital ALS pronouncements and a decrease in ED visits for potentially serious conditions such as MI and stroke during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in northern NJ. ⋯ Following the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in northern NJ, we found pre-hospital ALS death pronouncements increased and ED visits for MI and stroke decreased. Although we have speculated about the reasons for these findings, further studies are needed to determine what the actual causes were.
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Multicenter Study
The effects of a morphine shortage on emergency department pain control.
In 2018, due to a national morphine shortage, our two study emergency departments (EDs) were unable to administer intravenous (IV) morphine for over six months. We evaluated the effects of this shortage on analgesia and patient disposition. ⋯ Removing IV morphine in the ED, without a compensatory rise in alternative opioids, does not appear to significantly impact analgesia or disposition. These data favor a more limited opioid use strategy in the ED.
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Multicenter Study
Assessment of primary outcome measures for a clinical trial of pediatric hemorrhagic injuries.
We evaluated the acceptability of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and other outcomes as the primary outcomes for a pediatric hemorrhagic trauma trial (TIC-TOC) among clinicians. ⋯ The PedsQL was a well-accepted proposed primary outcome for children with hemorrhagic brain injuries. Traumatic intracranial hemorrhage progression was favored by a subset of clinicians. A plurality of participants also considered the PedsQL an acceptable outcome for children with hemorrhagic torso injuries. Blood product transfusion requirement was favored by fewer participants.